SINGAPORE — One of Britain’s most recognisable automotive and fashion partnerships is back.
MINI and legendary British designer Sir Paul Smith have reunited for a new special edition that blends the compact carmaker’s unmistakable design with the fashion icon’s colourful, playful and distinctly British creative language.
The MINI Paul Smith Edition has now arrived in Singapore, marking the latest chapter in a collaboration that stretches back decades and has produced some of the most memorable special-edition MINIs ever created.
But this time, the famous partnership is entering a new era — one shaped by electric mobility, sustainable materials and a fresh generation of MINI models.
A British Design Partnership Returns
MINI Asia announced on Sep 10 that the MINI Paul Smith Edition is now available in Singapore.
The edition will initially be offered locally on the all-electric MINI Cooper SE, while additional variants are expected to follow in the coming months, according to BMW Group Asia.
The launch represents another evolution of the long-running relationship between MINI and Paul Smith, two brands closely associated with British creativity and a philosophy of combining classic design with unexpected details.
For Paul Smith, whose fashion empire became internationally known for putting colourful and unconventional twists on classic tailoring, the partnership with MINI offers a natural creative crossover.
The new edition is built around Smith’s famous design philosophy: “Classic with a twist.”
And the result is far more than simply adding a designer badge to a car.
Three Exclusive Colours — Including Paul Smith’s Personal Touch
The MINI Paul Smith Edition introduces several design features developed specifically for the collaboration.
Buyers can choose from exclusive exterior colours including Inspired White, Statement Grey and Midnight Black, according to MINI Singapore.
The cars also receive distinctive exterior accents and unique roof treatments, including the option of a contrasting Nottingham Green roof — a nod to Paul Smith’s hometown in England.
Another version incorporates a reinterpretation of the designer’s famous stripes, one of the most recognisable signatures of the Paul Smith brand.
MINI has also introduced a new black-blue interpretation of the familiar MINI exterior banding for the special edition.
The approach reflects Paul Smith’s long-standing reputation for hiding unexpected colours, patterns and playful details within otherwise classic designs.
The Biggest Paul Smith Surprise May Be Inside
The collaboration continues inside the car.
MINI says the Paul Smith Edition features exclusive upholstery and a specially designed dashboard with new colour and material combinations.
The cabin also incorporates sustainable materials alongside a collection of small, unexpected design details inspired by Paul Smith’s distinctive creative style.
Among them are signature stripe elements, personalised greetings and positive affirmations designed to make the interior feel less like a conventional vehicle cabin and more like a carefully curated fashion piece.
This is where the collaboration arguably becomes most interesting.
Rather than treating the Paul Smith name as a simple luxury branding exercise, MINI has incorporated the designer’s personality into the ownership experience itself.
The result is intended to feel playful, optimistic and unmistakably British.
From 1998 to the Electric Age
The MINI and Paul Smith story goes back much further than the latest edition.
The partnership produced the original Mini Paul Smith Edition in 1998, making it one of the most memorable collaborations in the history of the classic Mini.
More recently, the two brands reunited for the MINI STRIP project in 2021, which focused heavily on sustainability and material reduction.
That was followed by MINI Recharged by Paul Smith in 2022, when a classic Mini based on the earlier Paul Smith edition was transformed into a modernised electric vehicle.
BMW Group says the latest edition takes that relationship into a new phase by applying Paul Smith’s design language directly to the newest generation of MINI vehicles.
Electric MINI Leads the Singapore Launch
Singapore buyers will initially see the Paul Smith Edition on the all-electric MINI Cooper SE.
The electric model combines the special-edition styling with zero tailpipe emissions during driving, placing the famous fashion collaboration firmly within MINI’s growing electrification strategy.
MINI’s broader Paul Smith Edition lineup internationally includes the all-electric MINI Cooper as well as versions of the MINI Cooper, Cooper 5-Door and MINI Cooper Convertible, depending on market availability.
For Singapore, however, MINI Asia is starting with the electric Cooper SE before expanding the offering.
Singapore Drivers Will Get a First Look at the New Edition
MINI is also giving the public an opportunity to see the new Paul Smith Edition in person.
A special showcase is scheduled to open on Sep 19, 2026, from 8.30am to 7pm, at MINI Habitat, 27 Leng Kee Road.
According to BMW Group Asia, the event will include curated displays, interactive postcard-making, Leica instant photography, themed refreshments inspired by Paul Smith’s signature colours and limited-edition gifts while stocks last.
The event comes as MINI looks to turn the vehicle launch into more than a conventional automotive showroom experience.
Instead, the company is leaning into the fashion, design and lifestyle credentials of one of its most famous creative partnerships.
Another Limited MINI Is Also Coming to Singapore
The Paul Smith Edition is not the only special MINI attracting attention.
MINI Asia has also announced the MINI Surfside Collection, which will be offered in Singapore in an extremely limited run of just five units.
The Surfside Collection is being introduced alongside the Paul Smith Edition, giving collectors and MINI enthusiasts two very different interpretations of the brand’s increasingly lifestyle-focused strategy.
Why the MINI Paul Smith Edition Matters
Special-edition cars are nothing new.
But the MINI Paul Smith Edition stands out because the partnership has genuine history.
Paul Smith is not simply lending his name to a vehicle. His relationship with MINI dates back to the classic Mini era, while the more recent projects have explored sustainability, restoration and electrification.
That gives the new model something many fashion-branded cars lack: continuity.
The original collaboration celebrated the personality of the classic Mini.
The latest version attempts to do the same for a new generation — only now with electric technology, sustainable materials and a design language built for a much different automotive world.
And for Singapore drivers, the return of the Paul Smith MINI marks the latest sign that cars are increasingly being marketed not just as machines, but as extensions of fashion, design and personal identity.
The question now is whether one of Britain’s most colourful design collaborations can become just as iconic in the electric era as it was when the original Paul Smith Mini first turned heads nearly three decades ago.
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